


In the Distance

by yikeslikenikes



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bad Parents, First Kiss, First Love, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Forests, Happy Ending, High School, Imprinting, Love at First Sight, M/M, Reunions, Soulmates, Time Skips, Wolves, after college, human-werewolf relationships, there is two seconds of implied nudity but it isn't sexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24607444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikeslikenikes/pseuds/yikeslikenikes
Summary: “It’s silly honestly. Feeling like I lost you.”“It isn’t because you did. I mean, I lost you too.”
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Lee Minhyuk
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73
Collections: Hyungwon Bingo: Round 2





	In the Distance

**Author's Note:**

> For Hyungwon Bingo! Square: lost
> 
> Title is from Find You.

In that moment, in that second that felt like a breathless lifetime, Hyungwon’s heart shattered a thousand times and got put back together just as many. 

It had been years  —  so many years  — since he had last seen Minhyuk. 

But there he is now, standing just on the other side of the street, staring back at him with big eyes. 

And it’s just the way of the universe that in the few seconds Hyungwon let his guard down, one of the few times where he wasn’t looking for him, he suddenly appeared again. 

The traffic lights turn red. The cars stop. The walking sign turns on. And Hyungwon is rooted in place as Minhyuk runs across the crosswalk, runs right for him, his lips mouthing his name like he doesn’t believe it. 

The world is gone as Minhyuk stops, just a few steps away from him, eyes teary and full. 

“Minhyuk,” Hyungwon whispers out, and he’s surprised by his own voice. By his own thoughts. 

Minhyuk smiles, his hands reaching up before they stop. 

“Hyungwon. It’s...it’s you. It’s really you,” Minhyuk whispers back. 

Hyungwon feels like everything speeds up around them, turning into a blur while they're moving in slow-motion. His vision goes watery as he says Minhyuk’s name again, and he reaches up to cup his cheek, and he’s still there. Solid under his palm, and he sobs a bit. Minhyuk bites his lip and leans into his touch before he wraps his arms around Hyungwon and pulls him close to him. 

It’s so easy. Still so easy. 

Grasping at his back and pulling him close, Hyungwon buries his face in Minhyuk's shoulder and shakes, and Minhyuk just keeps saying his name over and over again as he hugs him tighter. Buries himself closer. 

It was never really meant to happen this way. Was really never meant to happen at all. 

But Hyungwon lets all those things go and just clutches him. 

The imprinted wolf that he had been forced to abandon. 

+++

Wolves, Hyungwon had learned in school, were luckier than humans in many aspects, but especially in one. When they found their soulmate, they instantly knew. They would look at each other, their eyes would shine gold, and then they would kiss, and that was it. They would be together from then until the end of their days. 

Hyungwon had also learned that wolves only ever imprinted on other wolves. It was why they seemed so separate from the rest of the world despite mingling with humans for decades, living in the same cities, going to the same schools. But wolves kept to themselves despite that. 

So it wasn't supposed to happen when Hyungwon was fifteen and just going for a hike in the woods around his house. 

When he had looked up and saw a boy around his age in the woods, and their eyes had met for a moment long enough for Hyungwon to see his eyes go golden, he couldn’t really believe it. 

The boy collapses a second later, and Hyungwon runs towards him, already feeling sorry. 

“Hey! You okay?” Hyungwon asks as he gets to him. He squats down next to him, worry filling him up.

The boy looks up at him, and he looks terrified, eyes huge and quickly filling up with tears, and Hyungwon’s heart sinks.

“Did...did you really just…” He asks softly. 

The boy sobs a bit and hides his face behind his hands, and Hyungwon frowns. He helps the boy sit up and lean back against a tree. 

“It’s okay. Hey, it’s okay. Just…my name is Hyungwon. What's yours?” 

The boy sniffs and moves his hands away. 

“M-minhyuk.”

So, Hyungwon has a name for the poor wolf that imprinted on him. 

“Hi, Minhyuk. I've never...seen you around before.”

Minhyuk’s face scrunches up like he's in pain, and he hugs himself, wrapping his arms around himself. 

“Just moved here,” he says. 

Hyungwon frowns. “Does it hurt?”

Minhyuk looks away. Stares off into the quiet wood. 

“Yes.”

“Oh. I thought...I didn't know that would hurt.”

Minhyuk scoffs and looks at him. 

“Of course you wouldn't. You're not even--” His voice breaks, and he looks away again. Hyungwon’s heart aches for him a bit. He's sure that he had imagined meeting his soulmate and having it be such a happy time. Now there he is. Finding his supposed other half and finding out that they don't quite fit together. That they shouldn't. That they can't. 

This...was never supposed to happen. 

But it did, and Hyungwon knows he has to deal with that. 

“What do you need? To make it stop hurting?” Hyungwon asks softly. 

Minhyuk looks at him with those big brown eyes, shocked. “I can't…”

“What? I know it has something to do with me. Wolves are supposed to stick with their imprint as often as possible, right?”

Minhyuk frowns and nods, and he looks so sad. Like a crying puppy. 

“So? What is it?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk licks his lips and looks down. 

“We...we’re supposed to kiss.”

Hyungwon’s heart drops down to his stomach. He’s never been kissed before, but he doesn't think this is the time to tell him that. 

“Oh.”

Minhyuk groans and shakes his head. “You don't have to. You don't. It's okay. You’re not…I get it. I just deal with this and--”

“I'll do it. It's just a kiss, right?” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk stares at him like he's grown a second head. 

“What?”

“I'll kiss you, and then we can talk without you looking like you're about to throw up?”

Minhyuk nods a bit. 

“You...you’re really going to kiss me?” Minhyuk asks. 

Hyungwon takes a deep breath. “Yes. I am. That doesn't mean we’re getting married, does it?”

Minhyuk shakes his head. “It...it just...bonds us.”

Hyungwon blinks. “So it is like getting married?”

Minhyuk groans again and shuts his eyes. “No! It's just. You're not one of us. I don't...I don't expect anything out of you. Not even a kiss.”

Hyungwon blinks at him before he makes up his mind. He leans closer, and Minhyuk’s eyes go even bigger as he presses back against the tree. 

“I can't promise like...true love and fireworks, but...we can be friends? Get to know each other?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk nods a bit. “That...that’d be nice.”

Hyungwon grins. “Okay. So we’ll do that. I just...need to kiss you first, I guess.”

Minhyuk sputters out a short little laugh, and it's nervous. Hyungwon can just tell it's nervous by how high and tight it is. 

“I guess,” Minhyuk says softly. 

And Hyungwon thinks that if it wasn't for everything else, having his first kiss in the woods could have been romantic maybe. If it had been someone he really liked and had feelings for. And maybe it is romantic for Minhyuk. He'd been living his whole life hearing about how there was one person out there for him, and when they'd meet, it'd be something magical and amazing, and they'd seal it, apparently, with a kiss. 

Wolves instantly fall in love with their imprint, someone had told Hyungwon once. One look was all it took. 

He wonders if it's still the same when it goes wrong. When it's a human and not a wolf. If Minhyuk is falling in love with him as the seconds tick by where they're just staring at each other, both too afraid to move first. 

The saddest thought that passes through Hyungwon’s mind is that Minhyuk had probably lived his whole life waiting to be loved back. 

A first kiss really isn't too much to part with when he thinks of it that way. 

So Hyungwon takes a deep breath and leans closer, and Minhyuk stares at him, holding his breath until Hyungwon’s lips touch his. 

Hyungwon stays there, pressing their lips together for a moment, watching Minhyuk’s eyes flutter closed before he gently presses forward to reciprocate the kiss. 

Maybe it is romantic after all. 

+++

Hyungwon’s leg can’t stop bouncing as he sits in the quiet cafe, staring as Minhyuk places their order. 

He hasn’t changed much in the years that have passed, but he has changed. He’s taller. His dark hair is pushed back to show his forehead instead of all shaggy down to his eyebrows. Some of the roundness of his cheeks has gone away, but Minhyuk hasn’t really gotten skinnier. He has filled out, shoulders wide, not the skinny kid he used to be. 

Handsome. Incredibly handsome. 

Hyungwon hopes that the fact that he hadn’t changed much at all doesn’t put Minhyuk off somehow. 

“I got you an iced americano. I hope you still like those,” Minhyuk says as he walks over to the table. He slides the drink over to Hyungwon and sighs as he settles down in the seat across from him.

“I do. Thank you,” Hyungwon says. The cup is cold in his hand, and he swipes his thumb over the condensation on the plastic. 

Minhyuk’s hands are tight around his own cup, and Hyungwon can tell that he’s nervous, but Minhyuk smiles at him despite that.

“I...God, I don’t even know where to start. I have so many questions,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon nods and looks down at his drink. At the name Minhyuk written in the barista’s handwriting on it. 

“I get that. I do too,” he says. 

“Do we have to start over?”

Hyungwon looks up at him. How he’s biting at his lip. How he hasn’t taken a sip of his drink. How his eyes keep looking over him like he’s worried he’ll disappear if he blinks. 

“I don’t think we can. But, honestly, I don’t think I want to?” Hyungwon says. 

“Good. I definitely don’t think I could do the whole ‘hi, my name is Minhyuk, I think I’m in love with you’ thing all over again.”

Hyungwon laughs a bit, and Minhyuk’s eyes light up. 

“God, you have no idea how much I missed that,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon grins and finally takes a sip of his iced americano. 

“Just my laugh?” he asks. 

Minhyuk smiles and shakes his head. “Definitely not just your laugh.”

“I missed you too.”

Minhyuk smiles a bit bigger. Everything swells up in Hyungwon’s chest and makes his throat tight. 

“I missed you too,” Hyungwon repeats softly. 

+++

“How do you like school?” Hyungwon asks. He and Minhyuk are sitting together out in the woods next to each other, their backpacks in a heap a few feet away. 

“It’s fine. Just like any other school,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon nods. It’s been a month since they first met. Minhyuk transferred into his class the day after. He had done his best to try to be his friend, and Minhyuk had actually fit in well with him and his little group. 

After school, the two of them liked to come hang out in the woods for a while. At first, it had been awkward. Minhyuk would always blush and look at anywhere but at him, and Hyungwon would get second-hand embarrassment from it. They opt to sit right next to each other to talk just so they don’t have to look at each other while they do it.

“Were all the questions about being a wolf annoying?” Hyungwon asks. 

“Not really. I get it. It’s a small town. Not as many wolves around.”

Hyungwon hums. “Have you...told anyone?”

He can see Minhyuk turn to look at him from the corner of his eye. 

“About what?” he asks. 

“You know.” Hyungwon feels himself blush. “About us.”

“No.” 

A beat. 

“Not anyone at school,” Minhyuk adds.

“Oh.”

“I told my parents. I couldn’t not tell my parents.”

“Makes sense,” Hyungwon says. He picks up a stick from the ground and pokes it into the soft earth between them.

“I wouldn’t want to ruin things for you,” Minhyuk says softly. 

Hyungwon looks at him. “You’re not ruining anything.”

“It kinda feels like I am. You had your whole life going on, and now I’m here.”

“You’d still be here even if you hadn’t imprinted on me.”

“True.”

Hyungwon sighs and lets go of the stick. It slowly falls over, not dug deep enough to stay upright. 

“What...did your parents say, though?” Hyungwon asks. 

“What are they going to say?” 

“I don’t know. That you’re never allowed to see me again or something.”

“No, you see, my parents love me, so they would never do that.”

Hyungwon snorts and elbows Minhyuk. He laughs and rubs at his arm in response. 

“Would it be that bad if we never saw each other?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk takes a deep breath and stands up. Hyungwon looks up at him as he walks in front of him and turns to look back at him. 

“What?” Hyungwon asks. 

“I don’t know how to explain it to you. I get anxious thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what? Explaining it to me?”

“No, never seeing you.”

“Oh.”

Minhyuk snorts and stares down at the ground.

“My cousin? He imprinted in the airport right before he got on a plane. His imprint was going in a completely different direction. They kissed, exchanged numbers, and promised they’d meet up when they got back. He said it was the worst business trip of his life.”

Hyungwon frowns. “I see.”

“It just. I don't know. It's like your body knows you're supposed to be together. And when you're not together, it feels like something is wrong,” Minhyuk says. 

“So what you're saying is…”

Minhyuk blinks up at him, and Hyungwon gives him an easy smile as he leans back on his palms. 

“You miss me all the time,” Hyungwon finishes. 

Minhyuk snorts and sits down in front of him. 

“Not all the time. I mean, we’re together pretty often, honestly.”

“Because of class?”

“Yeah.”

“So it doesn't have to be us hanging out together alone?”

“Uh, no?”

“Then what are we doing this for?”

Minhyuk pouts, and Hyungwon laughs at him. He looks like a sad puppy. He reaches out and grabs Minhyuk’s face, squeezing it. 

“I'm joking! Don't get sad!” 

“You're the one that suggested these dates anyway!” Minhyuk says. 

They both freeze at the word date. 

Close. They’re closer than they've really been since they've kissed. Hyungwon’s hands are still against his cheeks, and Minhyuk is only a foot or so away, and suddenly Hyungwon feels way too hot again. 

“Date?” Hyungwon asks softly. 

Minhyuk bites his lip, but Hyungwon doesn't miss how he leans into Hyungwon’s touch just the slightest bit. 

“I mean. Like friends. A friendly date,” Minhyuk mumbles out. 

Hyungwon hums and drops his hands. Minhyuk sighs and rubs his hand through his hair. 

“Look, I know this is weird, but I appreciate it. You really didn't have to do any of this. You don't even understand it, but you still try to make time to see me and even hang out with me at school.”

“Well, yeah. You...need me. Kinda.”

Minhyuk snorts. “Yeah.”

Hyungwon chews on his lip for a moment before he clears his throat. 

“Do you...think about...it?” Hyungwon asks. 

Eyes blowing wide, Minhyuk turns very pink. Hyungwon chokes on his spit and shakes his head. 

“No! Not like that! I meant--”

“What else could you have meant?” Minhyuk yells out, already starting to laugh again. 

“I meant the kiss! Do you think about the kiss,” Hyungwon says with a pout. 

The laughter stops a bit short, and when Hyungwon looks at him, Minhyuk has turned even redder. 

“If I think about our kiss?” Minhyuk asks. 

Sighing, Hyungwon nods. 

Minhyuk licks his lips. 

“Of course I do. All the time.”

Excitement patters up into Hyungwon's chest. He digs the tips of his fingers into the dirt. 

“Really? That good of a kiss?” Hyungwon asks. He knows he's trying to be cheeky and failing, but Minhyuk doesn't call him on it. 

His eyes just flicker down to Hyungwon’s lips before they go back up to meet his eyes. 

“Your lips were...soft,” Minhyuk says softly. 

it almost feels like a trance. They keep staring at each other, slowly floating closer. 

“Soft?” Hyungwon asks, and his voice is even quieter than Minhyuk’s. 

Minhyuk nods. “It just felt...right.”

“Right.”

Hyungwon blinks and looks down at Minhyuk’s lips for a moment. They had been soft too. 

Hyungwon licks his lips and leans in closer, and Minhyuk closes his eyes and stays still as Hyungwon kisses him. 

Soft and barely there, Hyungwon’s lips linger against Minhyuk's, and he feels goosebumps break out all over his body. He digs his fingers deeper into the dirt, trying to keep himself grounded. 

He isn't confident enough to do anything else. This is only his second kiss after all. 

Hyungwon pulls away and watches as Minhyuk’s eyes slowly flutter open. His cheeks and ears are rosy, and his lips almost look wet, and Hyungwon is embarrassed about that as he moves to reach up and wipe his mouth.

Minhyuk grabs his wrist, and it’s so gentle, it catches Hyungwon off-guard. 

He doesn't quite have his bearings together when Minhyuk leans in and kisses him again, and this time their lips press harder against each other. 

Hyungwon feels himself relax, and he kisses him back. His hand drops a bit, and Minhyuk takes it in his, pressing his palm against his before he pulls away. 

It's quiet. There's a bird chirping somewhere up in the trees around them, but it feels silent inside of Hyungwon. Still in a way he's never been before. 

They just stare at each other for a second before Hyungwon feels the need to break the silence. 

“I like you, Minhyuk,” he says. 

Minhyuk smiles. Intertwines their fingers.

“I like you too. Obviously.”

Hyungwon laughs a bit. “Obviously.”

“So?” Minhyuk asks. 

Hyungwon grins and looks down, giggling from the embarrassment, and Minhyuk laughs along too, squeezing his hand. 

“I mean. If you wanted to be my boyfriend, I'd like that,” Hyungwon says. 

“I do. Of course I do.”

Hyungwon feels like maybe he could fly. He looks up at Minhyuk and leans in to kiss his cheek. Minhyuk closes his eyes and squeezes his hand tighter. 

When Hyungwon gets home that night, his mom scolds him for the dirt in his hands and on his pants, but Hyungwon just can't seem to stop smiling. 

+++

“So we’ve just...both been in the city for years now?” Minhyuk asks.

“Apparently. At least for as long as I’ve been going to university,” Hyungwon says.

Minhyuk huffs and shakes his head. Both their drinks were long gone by now, but they were still sitting in the cafe, talking. 

“I wish I had thought to hang out on that campus with my friends,” Minhyuk says.

Hyungwon smiles. “I know how you feel, but at least we found each other eventually?”

Minhyuk sinks back in his chair. 

“I still can’t believe it, honestly. Like I’m looking right at you and it still doesn’t feel real,” he says.

Hyungwon bites his lip and reaches across the table. Minhyuk looks at his hand for a second before he reaches for him too. Their fingers intertwine easily, and Hyungwon presses his palm against Minhyuk’s.

“I’m right here,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk smiles and squeezes his hand. 

“It’s silly honestly. Feeling like I lost you.”

“It isn’t because you did. I mean, I lost you too.”

Minhyuk sighs, his thumb rubbing against Hyungwon’s. 

“I tried looking for you. I heard all those legends about imprints being able to find each other no matter how far away they were, and I thought it would work. I thought I’d just be able to feel where you were, you know? But…”

“But I’m human, and it doesn’t work that way because of it,” Hyungwon says. It isn’t a guess. He just knows it has to be true. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry,” Minhyuk says. 

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault.”

“I didn’t stop looking for you though. I came here because I remember you talking about liking the city, so I thought maybe one day you’d come here.”

“I looked for you too. As soon as I got away from my parents, I went back home, but you weren’t there,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk nods. “It...It hurts to be separated from your imprint. And being in that town...I couldn’t even go into the woods without it killing me inside.”

The memories they shared in the woods crackle in the outskirts of Hyungwon's mind. The breeze through the trees. The soft earth under Hyungwon’s palms. Minhyuk’s lips against his. 

Blinking, Hyungwon looks away, squeezing Minhyuk’s hand. 

He never even got to kiss him goodbye.

“You want to go somewhere? More private?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk looks at him. 

“My apartment is nearby? If that's okay?”

Hyungwon nods. 

“As long as it's just us, it sounds perfect.”

+++

“So are you going to show me or not?” Hyungwon asks as he shoves at Minhyuk’s back. 

Minhyuk laughs and turns around to catch him in his arms. 

“Why do you want to see it so bad?” 

Hyungwon grins at him before he reaches up to mess with Minhyuk’s hair. 

“You've been my boyfriend for months now. I think I deserve to see you as a wolf.”

Minhyuk waves his hands away before he just grabs them, holding them in front of him. 

“Why do you want to see that though?” Minhyuk asks. 

Hyungwon tilts his head. “Why not?”

It's quiet in the forest today. The birds all flew away when they had started laughing too loud. But there’s something hesitant in Minhyuk's eyes that usually isn't there. 

“What?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk sighs and looks down. 

“Aren't most people afraid of wolves?” He asks. 

Hyungwon huffs. “Yeah, but it's you. I’m never going to be scared of you, and I don’t want you hiding parts of yourself from me just because of other people being scared of wolves.”

Minhyuk looks at him. 

“Really?”

“Promise,” Hyungwon says. He leans in and kisses Minhyuk’s cheek, and Minhyuk turns to catch his lips. Grinning, Hyungwon pushes him away. 

“Now come on. I want to see,” he says. 

Minhyuk huffs, but he grins. 

“Fine, just. Wait here.”

“Alright!”

Hyungwon sits down on the ground and watches as Minhyuk walks behind a wide tree. He thinks it'd be instant, but it isn't. There's shuffling and he can hear Minhyuk humming to himself, and he sighs as he leans back on his hands and waits. 

“What's taking so long?” Hyungwon calls. 

“I don't want to ruin my clothes,” Minhyuk calls back. 

“Ruin your clothes?”

Minhyuk peeks around the tree, and Hyungwon catches a glimpse of his bare shoulder. He quickly glances away. 

“Oh. I didn't think of that,” Hyungwon says softly. Minhyuk laughs, but it goes quiet after a while. 

Hyungwon looks up again when a branch breaks. 

Minhyuk is big as a wolf. His fur is long and brown instead of the black that Hyungwon had been imagining. Sitting up straight, Hyungwon is a bit shorter than Minhyuk is standing. 

“Wow,” Hyungwon says. He holds his hands out toward him, and Minhyuk’s tail wags as he walks over to him, pushing his snout against Hyungwon’s palm. 

Hyungwon giggles and pets his head, and he can see that his eyes are still the same brown. Still Minhyuk. 

“You’re cute, honestly,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk sits down and lets Hyungwon scratch behind his ears and his neck. 

“Do you do tricks?”

Minhyuk gives him a warning growl at that. 

Hyungwon laughs. “Aw, not even for me?”

Minhyuk raises a brow at him. 

“Like...paw,” Hyungwon says as he holds out his hand, waiting. 

Minhyuk stares at him for a long while before he puts his heavy paw in Hyungwon’s hand. 

“I read that these claws are more for running and stuff. Not that you use them for hunting or anything,” Hyungwon says. He drops Minhyuk’s paw gently, and Minhyuk comes closer, nuzzling against his cheek before licking his face. 

Hyungwon sputters out a laugh before pushing him away. 

“Ew! I don't want you to lick me!” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk huffs and playfully pushes his paw against Hyungwon's chest. Hyungwon is surprised when he gets knocked back from the strength of it. 

Minhyuk freezes and whines, leaning down to nuzzle against his cheek again. 

“It’s okay! I'm okay!” Hyungwon says, reaching up to pet him again. 

Minhyuk sighs and flops down onto the ground next to him. Hyungwon sits back and just spends some time petting at him. 

He really almost is like a giant dog. He lays there, eyes falling shut as Hyungwon just feels how soft his fur is under his fingers. 

“This is nice and all, but I miss talking to you,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk raises his head and looks at him. 

“Unless you can talk like this?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk shakes his head. Hyungwon scratches behind his ear for a bit longer before he sighs and shoves gently at his side. 

“Then go change back, please.”

Minhyuk huffs as he gets up. He pushes his wet nose against Hyungwon's cheek before he walks back behind the tree. 

Hyungwon taps his foot as he waits, staring around the forest. 

“You really didn't like it?” Minhyuk calls out. 

“It's not that I didn't like it. It's just that I like talking to you more than I like petting you.”

Minhyuk laughs as he walks out from behind the tree, stepping back into his shoes. 

“I see.”

“You were cute though! Bigger than I thought you'd be.”

Minhyuk sits down in front of him grinning. Hyungwon can see the wolf in him now. The way he smiles. The sparkle in his eyes. 

“Cute? I'm a vicious wolf,” Minhyuk says. 

“Right. All you did was want to cuddle.” 

They laugh until Minhyuk leans in to kiss him, and Hyungwon can only smile against him. 

When Minhyuk pulls away and gets up, both of them needing to get home, Hyungwon holds onto his sleeve. When they get to the edge of the forest, they hug for longer than usual. 

“Thank you,” Minhyuk says. 

“For what?”

Minhyuk pulls away and kisses his cheek. 

“For not being scared of me.”

Hyungwon smiles and squeezes him close again. 

“Never.”

+++

Minhyuk’s apartment is nice. Homey. The walls are forest green, and the furniture is brown soft cloth. There's a soft rug beneath his feet, and a television put on for background noise as Minhyuk is in the kitchen making them tea that neither of them really want. 

Hyungwon sinks back into the couch and glances around at the empty walls. He wonders if it's different in his room. Minhyuk’s room used to be covered in his art, but there isn't a trace of it anywhere in the living room. He does recognize the speaker sitting in the corner. It used to sit in the corner of Minhyuk’s room when they would nervously sit next to each other, wanting to kiss but being hyper aware of Minhyuk's parents just outside the door.

“You have no idea how glad I am that I cleaned yesterday,” Minhyuk says as he walks over with a tray. 

Hyungwon smiles. “You said you had a roommate?”

“Yeah! Kihyun. He’s back home visiting his boyfriend this weekend though,” Minhyuk says. 

“Is he--”

“A wolf? Yeah.”

“Cool.”

Hyungwon doesn't know why it's so awkward as he picks up his cup and sips at the tea. It's so strange being there after so many years. 

They had known everything about each other once. And it wasn't that long ago, but it feels like a different lifetime. 

Now, he doesn't even know his roommate. How his parents are doing. What his bedroom looks like. 

If his kisses still linger. 

If he’s kissed anyone lately.

If he wants to kiss Hyungwon as bad as Hyungwon wants to kiss him. 

“So. How are your parents?” Minhyuk asks. 

Hyungwon grimaces and puts his cup down. 

“I wouldn't know. I haven't talked to them in years.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Because of…” Minhyuk trails off. They look at each other, and Minhyuk chews on his lip. 

“Well, if they didn't hate me before, they definitely hate me now,” Minhyuk says softly. 

“They brought this on themselves. It has nothing to do with you,” Hyungwon says. 

“Doesn't it though?”

Hyungwon sighs. “Minhyuk--”

“It's not like I don't know why you guys moved. They made it very clear.”

“But me leaving...yeah, it does all start there, but it isn't  _ because  _ of you.”

Minhyuk sighs and rubs his eyes. 

“I never wanted any of that to happen,” Minhyuk says. 

“I didn't either. I thought...I thought they would understand when I introduced you. They took me coming out better than I expected, so I thought I'd introduce my boyfriend to them. I didn't think...they'd disapprove so strongly.”

“I knew as soon as I walked into your house that day that they didn't like me. I should have left then.”

“It wouldn't have changed anything whether you spent two seconds or two hours there. They probably still would have taken me away.”

Minhyuk leans back against the couch. 

“So then you ran away?” He asks. 

“I didn't run away. I grew up. I graduated, and I moved out,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk hums. 

“I wanted to run away though. I wanted to run right back to you so bad, but I just couldn't get away,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk looks at him, and something in his eyes changes. He moves closer, and Hyungwon stares at him. 

“My parents wouldn't let me run after you either. A few nights I'd sneak out to your house and follow your scent all the way to the edge of town before it'd get faint. There were news stories about the lone wolf walking the streets at night, so I had to stop, and then at that point your scent was gone.”

Reaching over, Hyungwon takes Minhyuk's hand in his. Minhyuk lets him, squeezing his hand. 

“We moved out across the country to this town where my aunt lived. It was this tiny town. You could barely find it on a map,” Hyungwon says. 

“It must have been hard.”

“They wouldn't even take me to school. I was homeschooled by my aunt. I guess they thought I'd bring home more boys they disapproved of.”

“Probably just didn't want you bringing anymore wolves home.”

Hyungwon squeezes Minhyuk’s hand. Familiar yet not. The tv plays in the background, and Hyungwon wishes they could pick up where they left off on that day. Just ten minutes before the end. 

+++

Minhyuk’s hand is so warm in Hyungwon's as Minhyuk walks him home. It's a cold January afternoon, just a week or so after Hyungwon’s sixteenth birthday. 

“Are you sure it's okay for me to come over?” Minhyuk asks. 

“You're fine! I know they were surprised about you, but they’ll come around. They have to. I mean, you’re my boyfriend, and that's not going to change anytime soon.”

Minhyuk tugs on his hands and pulls him closer to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. 

“I'm glad you think so.”

“Well, you're kinda stuck with me,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk laughs and kisses his cheek. “I think it's actually more like you are stuck with me.”

Smiling, Hyungwon leans into him, slowing his steps since they're about to turn the last corner. Minhyuk slows along with him. They stop at the corner, and Hyungwon looks at him. 

“Although, my parents were a bit weird so maybe we should get all our kissing out before we get there?” Hyungwon asks. 

“Ah, man. I knew there'd be a catch,” Minhyuk jokes. 

Hyungwon laughs and grabs Minhyuk's face. The air between them turns to smoke, and Hyungwon kisses him. His lips tremble a bit, cold, but Minhyuk kisses him back. 

Minhyuk pulls away, pressing his forehead against Hyungwon's. 

“I love you,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon giggles. Minhyuk had only started saying that recently, even though he felt it from the beginning. He waited the long five months before Hyungwon worked up the courage to say it first. Now, he said it every chance he got. 

“I love you too,” Hyungwon says back. 

Minhyuk grins and kisses him one last time before he takes his hand again. Hyungwon squeezes it and walks with him around the corner. 

They stop again when they see his parents loading up the car and the for sale sign on the fence.

“Wait, you're moving?” Minhyuk asks. 

“No? No, they never said anything about moving,” Hyungwon says. 

His stomach flops as he hurries forward, almost jogging down the sidewalk, pulling Minhyuk along behind him. 

“Mom?” 

His mother looks up before she slams the trunk shut. 

“Get in the car, Hyungwon,” she says. 

Hyungwon blinks. “What? What’s going on?”

Her eyes flicker to Minhyuk, and then back at Hyungwon. 

“Please, Hyungwon just get in the car.”

Hyungwon’s father comes out of the house and closes the door, locking it, and Hyungwon’s mind is a whirl. He steps away from Minhyuk towards him. 

“Dad?”

His father sighs as he comes down towards him. 

“Get in the car. We’re leaving,” he says. 

Hyungwon’s heart stops. 

“Leaving?” Minhyuk asks. 

His father ignores Minhyuk as he walks over to Hyungwon and grabs his arm. 

“We are leaving. It isn’t safe here for us anymore.”

“Safe?” Minhyuk says. 

“What are you talking about?” Hyungwon asks as he pulls away from his father's grasp. 

His father huffs, and his mother looks away, tears in her eyes. 

“No son of mine is going to be with one of those wolves. You’re a good boy, and I'm not going to have you being influenced into doing dangerous things by some boy he just met. Even if we have to pick up and move to keep you away from him.”

Hyungwon shakes his head. 

“Minhyuk isn't--”

“He's playing you, Hyungwon. Now get in the car.”

“I'm not playing anyone. I love Hyungwon. I'd never hurt him,” Minhyuk says. 

“Stay out of this! This doesn't concern you,” his father yells at Minhyuk. 

“Apparently it does! We’re moving away because of him! Dad, you sound insane--”

“If it's insane to keep my family safe, then I'll be insane, now come on.”

Hyungwon shakes his head, still in shock, and tries to step away as his father grabs him and yanks him toward the car. 

“No, please, he needs me, dad, he imprinted on me, he can't--”

“Wolves can't imprint on humans, Hyungwon! He's lying to you! Can't you see that?”

It was never supposed to happen. 

They were never supposed to happen. 

But it had. 

“Hyungwon, no,” Minhyuk says softly, stepping forward. 

“Stay away from my family,” his father says. 

“No, dad, stop,” Hyungwon says. He struggles against him, trying to get back to Minhyuk, but it's no use. His father shoves him into the back seat of the car and slams the door shut behind him. When Hyungwon tries to open the door, he can't. Tears flood his eyes as he starts frantically tugging on the door. 

“No, no, no, please,” he says. 

Minhyuk sobs as he tries to open the door on the other side, but it doesn't budge. Already locked from both sides. 

“Hyungwon, I love you. I'll find you, okay? Look at me!”

Hyungwon cries as he looks up at him through the glass, pressing his hands against the windows. 

“I love you. I'll never stop looking for you,” Minhyuk says. He presses his hands against the glass where Hyungwon’s hands are, and tears are streaming down his face. 

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” Hyungwon says. 

The car starts, and everything feels empty. 

“I’ll always love you,” Minhyuk calls. 

“I’ll wait for you. I love you too,” Hyungwon manages to get out before the car starts moving. 

He cries as he watches Minhyuk stand there outside his house as they drive away. When they turn the corner, he sees Minhyuk double over. 

Hyungwon doesn't know how long they drive for, but he sobs the whole way in the silence of the car. 

His parents take his phone away as soon as they stop, and they promise him this is for his own good, but Hyungwon has never felt colder.

+++

“So, what do we do now?” Hyungwon asks. 

They’re both curled up on the couch facing each other now. Minhyuk bites his lip and lays his head against the backrest. 

“That's up to you,” he says. 

“Me?”

“I’ll always love you. You know that. You know how it works. But I was just a first love for you. We dated for a little over half a year, and then I lost you.”

“Minhyuk--”

“I'm not stupid. It's been years. God only knows how many boyfriends have come and gone. How many loves.”

“None.”

Minhyuk blinks. “What?”

Hyungwon shrugs. “You’re the only boyfriend I've ever had.”

The disbelief on Minhyuk’s face makes Hyungwon crack up. 

“But--”

“But what?”

“It's you! I mean, look at you. You've only gotten more handsome and beautiful and--”

“And I fell in love with a boy when I was fifteen years old, and for some reason I just could never manage to get him out of my head.”

Minhyuk stares at him, and Hyungwon can't help but remember. All the memories he had held like precious stones in his palms when he had felt lonely and isolated. The ones he would go to whenever he was sad. The ones that would pop up without meaning to every time he was in a forest. 

“I remember how you used to hug me and try to sniff my hair without me noticing. And then when I called you on it you went on this whole talk about how it's instinct, and how I smell nice because I'm your imprint, and it's just good,” Hyungwon says. 

“And you laughed. You told me that it was just your shampoo, and you laughed.”

Minhyuk’s smiling now, chuckling a bit. It makes it easier. Makes Hyungwon feel lighter. 

“I didn't know any better at the time! Then I went home and looked it up and turns out it wasn't just my shampoo.”

“Definitely not. You still smell the same. Different shampoo though.”

Snorting, Hyungwon covers his face. “You can tell?”

“Oh yeah. Wolf thing.”

Hyungwon peeks through his fingers. 

“We didn't answer my question. What do we do now?” He asks. 

Minhyuk sighs and leans closer. 

“Look, if it was up to me, we’d just. Pick up where we left off. We’d start dating and making up for lost time, and we’d be together forever, and I'd never lose you again. But life doesn't work that way,” he says. 

Hyungwon drops his hands and looks at him. 

“It could. I mean, maybe we’d have to start over dating wise, but we could. I mean, I...I never stopped thinking about you. Or missing you. Or loving you. And I know that's ridiculous because we were kids but…”

“But?”

Minhyuk’s hands find his easily, and Hyungwon hopes he never lets them go. 

“You imprint on your soulmate. Which means you're my soulmate too. And it’ll be hard. We’ve changed. We're adults now. We live on our own. We don't have school or the forest or anything. But we’re soulmates, and we found each other again, and I can't help but think that means something.”

Minhyuk’s eyes water a bit, and Hyungwon just squeezes his hands tighter. 

“When I asked you to kiss me before we turned that corner, I didn't want it to be a goodbye kiss. I didn't want it to be the last kiss,” Hyungwon says softly. 

“It doesn't have to be,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon feels like that kid in the woods again, scared and excited and thrilled. It felt like a first kiss all over again. 

Hyungwon leans in and presses his lips to Minhyuk’s, and Minhyuk takes his face in his big warm hands and kisses him back. 

His lips are just as soft as he remembers. 

Hyungwon ends up wrapping his arms around Minhyuk and burying his face against his neck, and Minhyuk just holds him close, kissing at his shoulder and his head, and Hyungwon closes his eyes. 

“I love you,” Hyungwon whispers out. 

“I love you too. I love you so much.”

This was never supposed to happen. 

But Hyungwon clutches at his shirt, breathes in his scent, and is so glad that it did. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
